An Official Holiday With Kopi To Langkawi! :)

It was a great holiday! I got to spend time and had so much fun with Kopi! This was back in the days when he was still a single furchild : He obviously enjoyed himself tremendously during the trip and had an awesome time in Langkawi! So here’s what I did to bring him into Langkawi, a step by step guide, in case you too want to plan a trip there with yours!! I remembered how I was very paranoid and went through loads of research and went around asking everyone everything before this trip! So I thought I’d share what I’ve learned and save you the hassle. It may sound complicated but it is not

Checking In for Flight See the Flight Crew tag? Yes I tagged Kopi too! Just in case right?!

Firstly, I flew Kopi via MAS as ‘Excess Baggage’. So here’s what you need to do step by step guide.

Call back MAS Ticketing Counter to confirm that they have equipped the aircraft with ventilation for your furkid (call to confirm about 2 weeks and few days before travel date) –> YES I KNOW I’M OBSESSIVELY COMPULSIVE BUT I WANT TO MAKE SURE EVERYTHING IS PREPARED!!

Go to your state’s DVS office to obtain Health Certificate and Import/Export Certificate (you can get the addresses from the DVS website listed below)

*Note : The health certificate is only valid for 7 days inclusive of weekends, so if you want to travel for say 5D4N, do get the certificate day before travel, otherwise you’ll need to get a return health certificate from Langkawi DVS located in Kuah from their temporary office about 200m from Eagle Bay Hotel)

Check-in through the normal counter on that day and hand over your furkid nicely secured in the crate to the handling crew on ground. You’ll have to pay RM10 per kg for the furkid’s flight each way. I’ll strongly advice for first-timers, do give your furkid herbal/organic calming tablet. To secure the crate here’s my advice though some may think it’s an overkill. I’ve placed 4 luggage tags (one for door, one for handle on top, one on the inside and one for the furkid), 2 photos of the furkid (one inside and one on top of the crate) and 2 in A4 size big and bold text (one inside and one on top of the crate) with all the information (Furkid’s name, flight number, date and time, destination i.e. hotel, contact person) clearly written. Make sure you have all the details for return flight printed too so that you can change it before you fly out from Langkawi Oh dont forget to tie the crate’s door to the crate with resealable zip ties, just to make sure your furkid wont be able to make a run for it if the door is accidentally opened. Please don’t forget to put in a bottle of water too for your furkid! No feeding 4 hours before flight in case he vomits. Unless long haul, you don’t need to give him food but have treats ready so that after you’ve landed and out of the airport, you can cuddle him back and give him some treats I’ve also added his favourite sleeping toy and a tee I’ve worn for familiarity.

This is not even half of his tags!

Now all you have to do is board the plane! For me I was paranoid so I stood at the glass and make sure they loaded my Kopi boy into the right aircraft!!

Upon arrival, go to the baggage conveyor belt and wait for someone to hand over your furkid to you

Scary!

*Note : Short snout furkids are prone to respiratory problems and some airlines do not fly them, please take your furkid to be checked by your vet to make sure he/she is fit to travel on flight. Make sure your furkid is fully vaccinated before the trip.

I would strongly suggest that you rent a car during your stay as it’ll be difficult to flag down a cab who’s willing to transport your furkid and you around! Rental is about RM350 @ 5Days for a really OLD junk of a car we call Iswara rented at the airport. Ask around and negotiate!

Kopi is Chilling by the Pool

Here’s a list of Restaurants that I’ve managed to bring Kopi in for meals. Rule of thumb is pick Chinese restaurants (even though there’s a big Halal sign), get down from the car and ask if they are ok with you dining in their restaurant with a furkid. Most of them are cool about it and well, be considerate and just sit outside rather than right smack in the middle of the shop. I tried doing what I normally do in KL which is pick non-halal restaurants but in Langkawi there are only 2 non-halal restaurants (Klang BKT, along Pantai Cenang and Korean BBQ, Han Kook Kwan along Pantai Cenang Road closer to airport)

I stayed at the Temple Tree Resort under Bonton Resort. It was a wonderful experience. Everyone was so friendly and the entire place was cozy, extremely hospitable, warm and absolutely fantastic. It was a very small boutique hotel that was very personable and private so you don’t get the noisy crowd but a nice quiet place. Absolutely fab! I got to walk Kopi everyday around the compound area and my room had a small garden at the back for him to do his Businesses! I stayed in Estate 4. Breakfast was absolutely delicious and this was one relaxing holiday for us. I arrived early and my flight out was late evening, Temple Tree actually gave me a room to freshen up both days without extra charges!! That’s just awesome! They have a resident furkid called JayJay who’s just an adorable pup, but they have over 80 cats roaming around the resort area. So do be careful as these cats aren’t afraid of any furkids! Kopi got chased by one half his size.. It’s quite embarrassing really¡­

Part of the hotel’s profit goes to the running of this shelter (LASSIE, Langkawi Animal Shelter & Sanctuary Foundation) and they have a Dogland for the animals to live out their lives there without euthanasia. I think this is an absolutely wonderful idea. I got to enjoy my holiday whilst supporting a good cause! Oh and because they have a shelter, guests can actually volunteer to help walk their furkids! They also have a vet clinic just outside the hotel if you need to get a letter from them to present to the Langkawi DVS. Dr.Tim and Dr. Jennifer both had been very helpful to help me get Kopi home from Langkawi. You see, Langkawi is very close to Thai border and the State DVS actually asked me to vaccinate Kopi for rabies. Which is ideally the right thing to do but you DON’T want your furkid to be sick and then go through the stress of flying! That’s double whammy!! So I got Dr.Jennifer to give Kopi a physical examination, issue out a letter to state that Kopi is well and dandy and then firmly decline the State’s request. As a follow-up I came back to KL and sent Kopi back to his vet for another physical check in case there is a need to take the jab upon return. So yes, I’ll return to Temple Tree for sure

Kopi's bed... yeah right

*There are other hotels which allow furkids on their premises, the Four Seasons Resort www.fourseasons.com/langkawi (this is super expensive and if you’re earning tons with the bucks to spare, go for it) and Pondok Keladi http://www.pondok-keladi.com (this is cheap and rooms are really back-to-back)

Ok so here’s a list of where I took Kopi during this trip, most of which he was on leash except to the beach where there were not that many people around.

- Lang Square – if there are too many people, it’ll be best if you keep your furkid inside a bag and only let him out when you want to take pics

- Makam Mahsuri (this is not advisable and it was a mistake on my part, had to sneak & hide him MAJOR NO NO)

Telaga Tujuh, Kopi walked over 600steps uphill!

- Telaga Tujuh – do keep your furkid on short leash towards the top, if need be, please carry him! There are loads of monkeys and they didn’t seem too friendly!

Evening walk at Pantai Tengah

- Pantai Pasir Hitam

Pantai Pasir Hitam with me

Here are some of the places where I went without Kopi, I left him in the room with some nice Beatles songs and my wonderful boy did his ‘businesses’ in the toilet

I'm Kopi, a little miniature schnauzer tall in stature big in heart but mum always call me a whining old man. I have a battery-pack of energy powered by love wifey, her name is TehC. We're both named at the time when mum was obviously drunk on mamak drinks! We're also on first name basis at the vet's given our names are so easy to remember. psstt... easy to remember, easy to scold too! :S We love to travel and we've been to Penang, Melaka, Port Dickson, Kuantan and even Langkawi for holidays! Our weekend schedule is always packed and we're busy bees with school and all sorts of activities with our friends! BBQ, hikes, sleepovers, day trips, volunteer work, just about anything! Not just that we are always out and about going to eateries with our mum and great grandma, grandma, aunts, uncles and cousins too! Phhewww... only when mum's at work do we get to rest :)

Hi Sara! Yes he did, thoroughly enjoyed himself with lots of runs walks and treats! Kopi is a great kid, generally very calm didnt make much fuss but he was very ‘manja’ with lots of whining after he realized I’ve picked him up from the cargo upon arrival at Langkawi Airport After a good 15minutes of kissing and hugging and pampering, he was all good to go! The return journey no hassle at all, since he already knows what to expect during the trip